MUSIC AS FINE ART1

In one sense, music is music. It is all some type of organized sound, and it has rhythm, timbre,
dynamics, form, and usually pitch. To this extent, there is no difference between functional
music and art music. However, differences appear in the complexities of the rhythm, timbre, and
other factors. The increased level of sophistication with which sounds are organized in art music
is the result of fundamental differences in the very reason for the existence of the music.
Therefore, some basic philosophical and psychological matters need to be explored. A logical
place to start is with the word “aesthetics” and some of its ramifications.

MUSIC AND AESTHETICS

As a branch of philosophy dealing with beauty, aesthetics can be intellectually demanding. But
aesthetics can be understood in a practical sense, too, and in a way that will be helpful to
someone who wishes to understand music better. In fact, aesthetic experiences are common.
What is a person doing when he stands and looks at the graceful shapes of clouds glowing in the
sunset? He is stopping to enjoy the view and to contemplate its meaning for the pleasure,
satisfaction, and enjoyment of doing so. He does not gaze at this beauty in order to ensure his
survival, to earn money, to improve himself physically, or to solve a problem. In terms of mere
existence, viewing a sunset is a senseless and unnecessary action. Contemplating the sunset,
however, is an aesthetic experience – that is, something experienced and valued for its own sake.
The shapes of the clouds, the reddish hues, the silhouettes of objects against the darkening sky
are studied for no other reason than the experience of seeing them and the enjoyment and
meaning they give the viewer.

1
HOFFER, The Understanding of Music, 2nd ed., Wadsworth Publishing Company, Inc. (1971), pp. 55-67.

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Aesthetic experiences seem to rise above ordinary, everyday events. They touch the imagination
and lift the spirit, if one is but sensitive to them. Take as an example this passage from the book
of Isaiah:

“For you shall go out in joy,

and be led back in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall burst into song,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”2

Certainly these lines are not meant literally. Rather the poet is telling the people how they will
feel when God delivers them from Babylon. The poet could have said “You will leave feeling
happy”; the message is there, in even more clear and concise form than in the book of Isaiah. But
how much more stirring it is, and how much more effective, to invoke some poetic imagination.
The Biblical version has rhythm, beauty, and color that attract and please. It is a joy to read.

One quick, easy definition of aesthetics is that it is the study of beauty. This definition is only
partially true, depending upon how the word “beauty” is understood. Frequently it is used
superficially to mean “pretty,” a word that connotes something pleasing to the eye or ear but
without much substance. If this were all that beauty meant, then the best music would be that
which contained the prettiest and least offensive sounds. Instead of the exciting, powerful works
of Beethoven and Brahms, there would be only sweet, flimsy, and innocuous little tunes.
Fortunately, Beethoven and Brahms wrote music of such significance that it has captivated
generations of listeners.

Aesthetic, artistic experiences call for thought, contemplation, cognition, reflection. That is why
a recreational experience such as riding a roller coaster or a sheerly physical one such as standing
under a cold shower is not aesthetic. The aesthetic experience involves getting outside oneself
and contemplating the object.

2
Cf. Isaiah 55,12.

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What’s the difference between art music and functional music? Aesthetic music exists for the
contemplative value it offers the listener; functional music exists to achieve a wide variety of
non-musical goals. Notice the distinction that Carl Belz draws between “rock and roll” and art
music in his book The Story of Rock:

In the early days of the American Bandstand television show, for instance, a panel
of three or four teenagers periodically reviewed newly released records. The
record was played, the audience danced, and a discussion of the song’s merits
followed. This discussion invariably contained remarks such as, “It’s got a great
beat … I’ll give it an 80,” or, “You can really dance to it … I’ll give it an 85.” The
panelists never talked about the artistic properties of the record: the way the song
was structured, the relation between its structure and meaning, its manipulations
of the medium, the implications of its content, or any of the kinds of issues that
are central to a meaningful statement about a work of fine art.3

There is another important difference between art music and functional music. Most of us do not
consider them in the same way, and we shouldn’t. There are types we don’t think about deeply or
listen carefully, just as there is reading matter that we don’t read seriously. The comic strips in
the daily newspaper and the paperback murder mysteries bought at the drugstore are not read as
thoughtfully as a Faulkner novel or a Shakespeare play. Sometimes, even the person who
admires and likes Faulkner’s and Shakespeare’s works wants to relax and read something simple
and undemanding. There’s nothing wrong with that, and there’s nothing inconsistent about liking
both art and popular music – for different reasons.

The fact that music is used for a variety of purposes can be seen in the different situations in
which music is heard. Mozart piano concertos are miserably out of place at school dances, and
most popular music dance music (ballet excepted) is out of its element in a symphony concert.
One doesn’t listen analytically to the thematic development of the latest hit song, anymore than
one sips a drink and converses during a concert. The panelists on American Bandstand did an
adequate job of assessing the type of music they were evaluating.

3
Cf. New York: Oxford University Press, 1969, p. 7.

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The third important difference between the two types of music is probably a result of the one just
mentioned. There is a correlation between the type of music and its worth in terms of listening
for aesthetic reasons. Generally (but by no means always), “music for listening” is more
worthwhile to listen to than “music for social dancing” or “music for protesting.” Why? Because
“music for listening” must make it on its own; it has to be interesting and satisfying without
being able to “ride along” on its social message or danceable beat. The musical quality of the
protest song or dance number is not the main consideration. The situation is very different with a
sonata or art song. Seldom is there a social message in such music, and almost never does
anyone attempt to dance to it. It is not unusual for a composer to pore over a symphony or opera
for months or even years in order to make it just what he wants. By contrast, hundreds of popular
songs are turned out each year; and in jazz and several of its offspring, the music is largely made
up on the spot.

Because art music generally offers greater aesthetic rewards, it is the type that receives the
greater share of attention in music courses… It is the music that merits close attention on its
own, a point that’s brought out in an exchange between Lucy and Schroeder in this “Peanuts”
cartoon.4

4
Cf. “Peanuts” by Charles Schulz (6 April 1958); from the Internet:
https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1958/04/06; accessed on 3 May 2021.

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There is another reason for studying art music: it is the type of music people usually know the
least about. Even if there were no instruction in music in the schools and colleges, most people
would become familiar with the popular music of the day. As in the case of learning to ride a
bicycle, most popular music (there are, of course, some exceptions) is simple enough so that little
instruction is needed. Also, it is ever-present on the radio and in other places. But just as one
needs instruction in something as complex as flying an airplane, one needs training in
understanding sophisticated works of music. Mere exposure to art music us not enough, even if
there were many opportunities for hearing it.

THE IMPORTANCE OF AESTHETIC EXPERIENCES

Why are the fine arts important? Discarded is the notion that the arts are a means of helping man
exist. But remaining is a great reason: they are a means of helping man live, to be more than an
animal grubbing his way through this world, to be a creature, in the words from Genesis, formed
“in the image of God.” Aesthetic experiences are a part of what makes human beings human.
The cow and the kangaroo both have ears, eyes, and a central nervous system, but their reaction
to a symphony or a fine painting is so small that it amounts to not noticing. What animal is it that

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derives enjoyment and meaning from the artistic use of color, shape, and sound? Only Homo
sapiens, “the thinking man,” as the words are translated.

The prominent place of the arts in man’s humanity is the bedrock foundation upon which the
importance and worthiness of the arts rest. It is a point of the first magnitude and one that is not
generally realized in our society. There is abundant evidence to support the claim. The following
is but a sampling.

From a scientist: In discussing the evolution of man, Lecomte du Noüy in his book
Human Destiny5 says that when the Cro-Magnon man began artistically adorning his caves and
tools, this marked “the most important date in all the history of mankind,” and became “proof of
the progress of the human spirit in the direction of evolution, that is, in the direction leading
away from the animal.”

From a philosopher: In seeking to prove the existence of the entity of the human spirit,
William Ernest Hocking of Harvard University cites as evidence man’s creativity in the arts,
specifically as exemplified by the music of Bach.6

From educators: Starting with Plato, who urged music in the education of every citizen,
and continuing through the universities of the middle ages, which included music in the
quadrivium of subjects required for the master’s degree, to present-day educators and
organizations like the Educational Policies Commission, music has been deemed an essential
part of a good education.

From theologians: Every religion in the world incorporates music in one form or another in
its worship. Throughout history, music has been regarded as a worthy offering, a fitting
expression of man’s relationships, also, music seems necessary and right. Seldom is a person
married or buried in a religious service without music’s expressive power being called upon.

5
Cf., DU NOÜY, Human Destiny, David McKay Company, Inc., (1947), pp.125-126.
6
Cf., HOCKING, The Meaning of Immortality in Human Experience, Harper & Row, Publishers (1957), pp. 62-63.

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 “The Black Bull,” a cave painting from Lascaux, France. This picture was
painted by a Cro-Magnon man about 15,000 years ago.

From the common man: Since the Cro-Magnon man over 15,000 years ago, people have
been looking at beauty in the world about them. They have been fascinated by the shifting color
of a sunset, the shape of a flower, the rhythm of the rolling surf. What’s more, they have created
beauty and artistic objects. They have built parks and museums. They have valued paintings,
symphonies, and poetry. And they seek artistic quality in their everyday surroundings – in their
clothing, homes, furniture, automobiles. A cardboard carton could serve as a lamp table; it would
even have the virtue of being far cheaper than a fine piece of furniture. But human beings simply
do not wat to live that way. Fundamentally they want to do more than exist.

Since it is evident that the arts, including music, have so much significance in human life, a
logical question is: why? To answer this, one must delve into the areas of aesthetics, philosophy,
and psychology. Several explanations can be found. One group of philosophers holds that in
music and other arts man re-experiences in a symbolic way the events of his life. The theory
proposes that in the recurrent rise and fall of intensity in music, the listener relives the feelings
associated with personal peaks and depressions. Other philosophers claim that music is

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“transfigured Nature,” transcending the world and revealing the realm of the ultimate Will
(God).

These two examples illustrate the differing ways in which aesthetics are explained. There is no
final answer. Fortunately, for the purposes of studying music there does not need to be an
ultimate answer. As long as there is recognition of aesthetic experience, it is enough to know that
the fine arts are significant in human life. The differing theories concerning their origin and
purpose should not be allowed to obscure the significance.

LEARNING ABOUT MUSIC

Since music and the fine arts involve aesthetic experiences, the nature of the course work will
differ from that found in other classes. This circumstance can cause misunderstanding and
confusion, particularly in regard to the role of factual learning. In a foreign-language class, one
learns to speak and write the language being studied. In science, one learns a mass of facts
covering such diverse topics as the periodic table and the number of light years to a distant star.
In understanding music, however, the nature of the content to be studied is not obvious, nor is
the place of factual learning clear. It is a fact that the pitch above middle C is generally 440
vibrations per second. That fact is of little value in helping you understand a Bach fugue,
however.

The learning of facts does have a place in a course on understanding music, because facts can
contribute to a greater comprehension of what is heard. It is good to know that Beethoven was
born in 1770, died in 1827, lived in Vienna, met Mozart, played the piano brilliantly, composed
nine symphonies, went deaf in his later years, and was a nonconformist. But it is more important
that his works do not strike you as a jumble of sounds when you hear them. If you hear a jumble,
you have failed to understand Beethoven’s music. Facts about music are helpful, but in and of
themselves, they do not replace organized sound.

There is something else you should learn in a music course: a sense of musical organization and
pattern, or syntax. Musical syntax is similar to syntax in language. We find the words “arms her
the girl lifted delicate beautiful” hardly to understand, not because they are difficult words but

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because they don’t fall into a logical pattern. When the words are arranged into “The beautiful
girl lifted her delicate arms,” they are easy to comprehend.

Since you were a child, you have heard music, so you already have some sense of musical
syntax. However, that sense may not include all the types of music [in this short course]. When
the music is unfamiliar, more careful listening is required to build up your sense of pattern for
that particular type of music.

Closely related to a syntactical sense is skill in listening to music. Without this ability to hear
what is happening in a piece, you are as helpless as a man with poor vision in an art gallery.
Listening skill is so important …

There is one more area of learning in music. It is a mode of thought, a way of thinking. To
understand music, you need to consider sounds with somewhat the same outlook as a musician.
This statement does not mean that you must perform music, although that helps. Rather, it means
that sounds are to be contemplated and valued for their own sake. Musician-like thinking does
not regard music as something to have in the background as you study or socialize with friends.
A musician is interested in the sounds and how they have been handled by a composer or
performer.

What about music? It is useful and valuable, but not absolutely necessary. You can get by
without it, but if you can comprehend musical notation, you will be able to learn more about
music. The musical examples [in this course] will be more meaningful, which in turn will
improve your listening ability. Following a simple score of the music as you listen can help focus
your attention while listening…

So you are studying a subject that is in some inexplicable way important to humanity, and the
content of which consists of organized intangible sounds. Now you can begin to see why the
study of music will be challenging, why at times it may be frustrating, and why the accustomed
mode of thought used in most courses will not be successful in music. To illustrate the different
thinking needed, let us consider the word “meaning” as it applies to music.

MUSIC AND CULTURE

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How do you determine whether a particular organization of sounds has meaning? Of course, you
can decide that for you one set of sounds makes music and one does not. But would your
judgment hold true for your father, an avant-garde composer, or a person from India? It’s very
unlikely that everyone would agree with you on what sounds are meaningful. What is significant
about this fact? It means that a person’s understanding of music depends of his cultural
background and intelligence.

Music is created by people. The patters of sound called “music” were not preordained in the dim
past, with man’s task being the discovery of those patterns. A search for the perfect melody and
the lost chord is about as likely to succeed as a search for the pot of gold at the end of the
rainbow. Man does not look for music; he creates it.

Since music is a creation of man, it too is a part of culture. Thus, understanding a culture requires
at least a limited understanding of that culture’s music, and vice versa. Similarly, a composer is
influenced by his culture, just as he in turn influences it. The interrelationship between music and
culture, just as he in turn influences it. The interrelationship between music and culture is so
basic and significant …

The importance of culture and society in making a human personality was dramatically
illustrated by two feral or “wolf” children who were found by missionaries in New Guinea in the
1920s. The two girls were human only in body. They never learned to utter more than one or two
sounds, showed almost no emotions, and when given food they scampered with it into a dark
corner to eat it. In short, they existed only on an animal level.

Of course, not knowing some aspects of your culture, music for example, does not mean you are
existing as an animal, But to the extent that a person is ignorant of his culture, he is not in the
mainstream of its life and feels alien and out of place. Suppose that you move to India. Like most
Westerners, you would probably find Indian music difficult to understand; the complexities …
are not quickly comprehended. But if you are going to live there, you should learn something
about its music. If you don’t, you will to a degree be an outsider in that society. Furthermore,
you will miss out on the enjoyment and enrichment the music can give your life. You would find
your Indian life a little duller, shallower, and less satisfying. So it is to your advantage to learn at
least the music of your own culture. And in a day of jet airplanes and instant communication, it
is desirable to learn a little about the music of other cultures as well …

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THE EVALUATION OF MUSIC

The matter of evaluation, of assessing artistic works as “better” or “poorer,” is often confusing. It
might appear that the label “poorer” or “bad” on a work indicates something defective about it.
That is almost never true. A poor piece of music is seldom a clashing, hashlike mess of sound.
Instead, it usually is one that is dull, trite, ineffective, or lacking in a sense of direction and
quality of elegance. In any case, it is judged to be poor to the extent that it lacks qualities if
craftsmanship and fails to offer enough imaginative musical happenings to hold interest.

The differences in the quality of artistic works are not obvious. It is not easy to tell that a sincere
but third-rate try at musical composition is of poor quality. Accurate evaluation of music requires
a wide range of experience to serve as a basis for comparison. A superficial evaluation of a ball
team is easy, because it either wins or loses games. But only an observer well-versed in the game
can evaluate a team solely by observing the quality of its playing, without reference to the score.
There is no won-lost record for an opera or concerto, so the knowledge and experience of the
listener is essential to any valid assessment.

The knowledgeability of the listener points to the central problem of the composer in relating to
an audience. The composer treads a delicate line between offering the listener something new
and something old. He must write in a way that is known and recognizable; he must follow
convention somewhat. But he also needs to have in his work something of interest, something
new. If a composer strays too far to the side of novelty and something new. If a composer strays
too far to the side of novelty and variety, his work becomes a senseless array of sounds. If he
sticks too closely to the expected pattern, the piece becomes boring and trite. In the days of the
silent motion picture, a favorite comedy device was for one character to pick up a custard pie and
throw it in the face of another actor. Pie-in-the-face humor is funny – the first time it is seen. But
after a while the routine becomes ineffective; it seems too obvious to be funny. Just how much
pie in the face can be appreciated and in what setting depends, of course, on the sensitivity and
maturity of the viewer. The same is true of the listener’s reaction to what he hears in a piece of
music.

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Sometimes works of art music seem too long and complex. Often there is relationship between
the level of sophistication and length, although this is by no means always true. Back in
elementary school days when we learned how to read, we started with simple sentences like “See
Dick run” and brief stories that required only one page to relate. This level of reading was fine
for us as first graders. But as adults we are bores with “See-Dick-run” sentences and one-
incident stories. Now we appreciate an interesting and varied use of words. Furthermore, the
relating of a simple incident no longer satisfies us; we want an intriguing plot and character
development, often with the subtle insights and symbolisms woven in. An author needs space in
which to provide these complexities – hence a novel or drama. To express profound feelings and
demonstrate skill at organizing sounds, a composer usually needs works longer than a minute or
two and a more complex structure than a pretty melody. A musical work that merits aesthetic
attention needs to have more than an attractive rhythmic pattern or a catchy tune, just as literary
masterpiece must be more than a few simple phrases describing an incident.

Effort, thought, and undivided attention will be acquired if you wish to probe the profound and
complex nature of music; it cannot be grasped through hasty or superficial study. Fortunately,
the effort is well worth making. Music as one of the hallmarks of man’s humanity yields a
wealth of meaning and enjoyment to every person who is experienced and sensitive enough to
understand it.

 It is an elevated form of art

 It demonstrate that higher form of living


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